MassDEP's Watershed Planning Program (WPP) conducts monitoring and assessment activities and reports its findings to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the public as required by the federal Clean Water Act (CWA). Water quality assessments are conducted to evaluate the ecological and recreational ("fishable/swimmable") condition of Massachusetts’ surface waters.
Reporting Requirements
Sections 305(b), 314, and 303(d) of the CWA direct states to monitor and report on the quality of their surface waters and whether they support designated uses. The WPP fulfills these monitoring and reporting requirements and evaluates the support of uses designated in the state’s Surface Water Quality Standards (SWQS) Regulations (314 CMR 4.00). The designated uses include aquatic life (such as fish, other aquatic life, and wildlife); fish consumption; public water supply; shellfish harvesting; primary (e.g., swimming) and secondary (e.g., boating) contact-recreation; and aesthetics.
Data Used in Assessments
Validated water quality monitoring data are provided by the WPP monitoring program (WPP Monitoring Data).
Additionally, quality-assured data are provided from watershed associations and other outside groups (External Data Submittals).
The above data sources, along with other state and federal agency data, are used by the WPP to assess and report on the state’s surface water quality conditions.
Assessment and Listing Methodology
The Massachusetts Consolidated Assessment and Listing Methodology (CALM) Guidance Manual (see Additional Resources below) describes how data are used to assess surface water quality conditions, and the process used to identify causes and sources of impairment. It also describes the categorization of the assessed waters as to whether they meet designated uses. Waters that are impaired for one or more uses due to pollutant(s) are listed on the 303(d) “List of Impaired Waters” (“303(d) List”).
The CWA requires states to submit reports on the designated-use-support status of their water bodies every 2 years. These "Integrated List of Waters" reports (IR) combine the CWA reporting requirements of sections 305(b) (“Summary of Water Quality”) and the 303(d) List. Category 5 of the IR is assigned to the surface waters on the 303(d) List that require restoration using cleanup plans, or Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL). The 303(d) List is subject to public review and comment and must be approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Statewide Statistical Reporting
In order to assess the quality of Massachusetts’ water resources, the MassDEP Watershed Planning Program (WPP) conducts both targeted and probabilistically-based surface water monitoring. Targeted monitoring approaches are by design limited to specific locations, and typically cover a small percentage of the total waters in the state. To enable reporting on the condition of all waters in the state, WPP uses probabilistic monitoring strategies to assess rivers, lakes and estuaries. The overall goal of this strategy is to provide an unbiased and statistically valid assessment on the condition of selected designated uses (e.g., Aquatic Life Use and Recreation Use) in all waters of the state and the potential stressors impacting those uses. The use of probabilistic monitoring is based on the principle that the quality of waters in a target population can be statistically estimated or inferred with a stated level of certainty by monitoring a random subset of the waters in the target population. In 2011, the Massachusetts Probabilistic Monitoring & Assessment Program (MAP2) was initiated with wadeable rivers and streams as the first water resource type assessed. The summary report for the MAP2 wadeable rivers and streams project is now available. From 2016-2018, a statewide probabilistic monitoring project was conducted for MA lakes and ponds. A summary report for the MAP2 lakes and ponds project will be available soon. WPP is currently engaged in a multi-year probabilistic monitoring project for coastal water resources (2020-2023).
Additional Resources for
Water Quality Assessment Reports by Watershed (WPP survey years 1997 through 2004)
Water Quality at DCR State Beaches
- Final Beach Water Quality Report
The complete report issued to the Senate and the House of Representatives on the water quality at beaches under the care and control of the Department of Conservation and Recreation, 2008-2012. This special report was submitted in fulfillment of House Bill No. 4384. - Final Beach Water Quality Report
Main body of the report on the water quality at beaches under the care and control of the Department of Conservation and Recreation, 2008-2012. - Appendices to Beach Report
Appendices to the Beaches Water Quality Report, 2008-2012.